Divination

CMW Final

Villa of the Mysteries Frieze

\-depiction of different stages of initiation into a mystery cult

\-specifically, lecanomancy (bowl divination)

* features Dionysus with a pole and ivy and his satyr friends
* looking into a lekanos (bowl)
* Satyr mask reflecting into the bowl, creates and illusion, meant to be apotropaic
* a boy is looking into the bowl, the boy is the intermediary through which the message from the gods passes

lekanos

bowl

apotropaic

warding off, averting

syncretism of divinations

\-multiple types of divination were often used together, lecanomancy and necromancy (PGM IV. 222-60), lynchnomancy and astrology etc

\-adds to our discussion of magic: widespread activity, acts of desperation, bettering chances of receiving true oracle

\-calling upon different gods (greek, egyptian, roman)

lecanomancy

bowl divination (nonnormative)

lynchnomancy

lamp divination (nonnormative)

necromancy

communicating with the dead (nonnormative)

cataptromancy

mirror divination (nonnormative)

oracle/prophecy

person who has some special ability to receive messages from the gods to help them see the future and relays the message (normative)

oneirocritica

dream interpretation (normative)

augury/haruspicy

bird signs (normative)

extispicy

entrail reading (normative)

what determines normative vs nonnormative forms of divination?

\-normative forms relate back to nature and things believed to naturally occur (birds+animals) or messages from the gods themselves

\-nonnormative forms are related to activity that gives the power to the “interpreter” or magician, leaving room for human error to misconstrue messages from the gods or even make them up

divination

looking for and interpreting patterns and, in turn, broken patterns as an intermediary between divine powers and human state

nekuia

calling up of the dead (prob dont need to know)

manganeia

sorceries (notice “man” root)

Lake Avernus

(seen in Golden Ass, Aneid, and the Odyssey)

* entrance to the underworld at the edge of Necropolis
* Odysseus went to Lake Avernus to find Tireseas in the underworld so Tireseas could help him find out which god he pissed off and how to fix it
* Aneid: references going to the underwold to find out information about the future

gendered element of divination

\-obviously woman=bad and man=good

* Zachtalas (egyptian mage) performing necromany is accepted
* witches performing necromancy is not
* male heros go to the underworld as some great quest (Heracles or Orpheus)
* Remus and Romulus use augury to determine where Rome should be

center vs periphery

divination in the center of the world is considered religion but done in the periphery (or outer or “othered” social location such as the mountains or at night), considered magic

omphalos

belly button of the earth (delphi)

astrology

\-complicated interpreting and reading of the stars to determine life events

\-Pliny the Elder: “\[astrology is a distortion of religion and magic\]”

\-widespread, holds an influence over everyone, everyone has an interest in their own future and how it plays out and anyone could just look up at the stars (also why it can be threatening)

\-Ptolemy: “\[feel a lift when studying the stars and become godlike"\]”

\-cosmic sympathy: the planets have an effect on us

\-was it believed the stars and planets cause things to happen or that the stars simply correlated with events (causation or correlation)